Crown of Dreams
by Thespurgin
Summary: Kayaba Akihiko was no man, but a heretic god. In killing him, Kirito saved the lives of thousands, but that was not all his impossible act began. A divine ritual of adoption, paid for by the sacrifice of a god. The illegitimate offspring of the fool and she who brought hope and woe to the world. That day heralded the birth of a Supreme Devil King; a Campione.


Kirigaya Kazuto, AKA Kirito the Black Swordsman of Aincrad, slumped in exhaustion. He couldn't find the energy to stand, so he just sat back to back with his wife, Asuna. Around them lay the remains of a force of some forty brave men and women, all that was left in the wake of a vicious battle with the boss of the seventy-fifth floor dungeon, a massive skeletal monster known only as the Skull Reaper. He'd never felt so tired. It was as if every nerve in his body had gone numb rather than continue operating under the stress they'd just weathered, and his thoughts began to drift. It was amazing how lifelike it was... this virtual world of Aincrad.

* * *

Aincrad Online, the first total immersion VRMMO ever created. A game truly in another world from its competition, and that could be taken literally as much as figuratively. An MMO so immersive that once you logged on, you saw, smelt, felt and heard everything as if they were really there... well, minus a few obvious things to keep the real world and its own distinguishable that was. Truly, the game could only be described as the magnum opus of its creator, Kayaba Akihiko. The day the game was released, all ten thousand players thought they were the luckiest people in the world.

Kami how wrong they'd been.

At first, the game was just as they'd imagined. Before them lay an entire world, a floating castle of one hundred levels of adventure before them, monsters to slay and bosses to fight. Sure, the logout button was missing on the screen, but on the game's first day there were bound to be a couple bugs. The GMs would have it solved before dinner time; at least, that was what he and Klein - a new player that he had been roped into showing the basics to- thought.

Then Kayaba summoned everyone to town of beginnings, and with but a single speech their world was turned on its head. Aincrad Online was a game no more. If you died in Aincrad, you died for real. There was no coming back, and no chance of rescue from the outside. The only way to get back to the real world was to beat the game by beating each dungeon and unlocking the subsequent floors until the final boss on level one hundred was slain, at which point anyone still alive would be automatically logged out. With that said, Kayaba Akihiko vanished, and the deathgame began.

That was over two years ago. Almost four thousand people have died since then, and by some miracle, they'd managed to clear seventy-four of the one-hundred floors, mostly thanks to the work of the hardcore clearing guilds like the Knights of Blood and the Aincrad Liberation Front, along with a number of smaller guilds and solo players, of which he himself was one.

He was a loner for the most part, having moved to the next town from the starting village immediately after Kayaba's announcement. It was a logical move really. There were ten thousand people in the town of beginnings and the mobs you could farm around there would be exhausted and stretched ridiculously thin as soon as people started using them. There wouldn't be anyone moving to the next village so quickly, so he had an entire region to farm on his own.

He'd originally met Asuna at a meeting regarding the first floor dungeon, where she'd sat alone and shrouded by a cloak that concealed her features. When the meeting's leader Diabel called for everyone to form into parties of six for the assault on the boss, she and Kirito had agreed to do so as fellow solo players. The only thing he knew at that time was her game name... Asuna.

In the battle with Illfang, the boss of the first floor dungeon, she'd shown surprising skill. Yet in spite of that she'd never partied before had no basic concept of squad tactics. They fit well together, as it were. Everything went as planned until they'd gotten the boss into the red of his last HP bar. Instead of the predicted weapon he was supposed to switch to, the boss had drawn a totally different weapon and caught Diabel totally unprepared. Even with Kirito's warning, there was no way to save Diabel. When Kibou's accusation threatened to divide the group and kill any future chance of beating the game, Kirito shouldered the burden of hate himself and moved on to the next floor. When he left, the last thing he saw was Asuna's smile.

It was some time before he saw Asuna again. She'd joined the clearing guilds and risen through the ranks to become second in command of the Knights of Blood, Heathcliff's guild. They'd often met during boss raid planning sessions and during the boss raids themselves. She'd turned into a cold, merciless badass since then, and it took a murder mystery to make them see eye-to-eye, and several shared brushes with death to get close. Eventually though, they ended up deciding to party together, and fell in love. He swore to get Asuna back to the real world, and an in-game marriage seemed only natural after that.

Kirito's thoughts then drifted to the boss they'd just beaten. The seventy-fifth floor dungeon boss; Skull Reaper...

It is a commonly acknowledged aspect of any RPG game that with each floor of the game, the bosses always get tougher. Casualties during boss fights are practically a given. However, in Aincrad Online players banded together and used intel and advanced tactics to keep everyone alive. The clearing guilds couldn't afford to lose anyone, not only because leveling up in Aincrad was such a time consuming process or because of the limited number of players that existed in the game, but because a death here was final. It was due to this incredible planning and coordination that the assault team hadn't lost a man in a boss fight since the 67th floor.

Granted, the previous floor boss had broken that record with several casualties from the party of ALF guild members who rushed in to engage it without intel, but that was a poor point. It could have been worse. It was the party leader's own foolishness that led them into that situation, and they engaged with far to few players at less than optimum strength. They would have been slaughtered if Kirito, Asuna, and Klein's guild hadn't intervened.

With the seventy-fifth floor boss, the assigned recon team, two squads consisting of ten men apiece, were separated when the first half entered the boss room and the door shut behind them. Five minutes later, the doors reopened but the entire team, and the boss, had disappeared. No evidence, no survivors, nothing. How could they move on a boss with no intel?

Even so, the combined forces of the clearing guilds had little choice. Thousands of people were on the lower levels hoping for escape and freedom from this death world, and those hopes rested squarely on the shoulders of the clearers. What's more, they were running out of time. Sure Kayaba made an incredible world, but for all his genius he couldn't hope to freeze their physical bodies in time. Even now, those players still alive were laying in hospitals, imprisoned in this world while their bodies atrophied in the real one. Give it another year, and they'd be dead anyway.

In the end, Heathcliff organized a team of the best from all the clearers to face the unidentified boss down. It was strange how he willingly sacrificed a Corridor Crystal though... those things are so rare you could buy a mansion in one of the better floors for what one cost to acquire. For a guild leader to use something so valuable just to get to the boss chamber more quickly was unusual, especially in the unflappable grey-haired templar's case. Granted, it made sense to save the bossraid's strength for the boss himself, but there was a difference between that and spending a vanishingly rare item to cut the travel time to the boss away.

Did the K.o.B.'s leader suspect that this boss had a crystal-neutralizing effect? In hindsight, it made sense, what with the previous floor's boss, Gleam Eyes, having the same thing woven into his boss room. Kirito knew all to well how dangerous such areas were as well, having been witness to the near annihilation of an entire squad of the Aincrad Liberation Front (ALF) at the last boss's hands.

"How many did we lose?" someone mumbled, pulling Kirito out of his daze. That was Klein's voice. Kirito opened his menu to check, and his expression fell.

"Fourteen."

Soft gasps filled the chamber, followed by murmurs that made all to obvious the undercurrent of distress and horror the survivors shouldered.

"No way..."

"We still have twenty-five floors."

"Will we really be able to reach the top?..."

As feeling slowly began to creep back into his limbs, Kirito looked around and his eyes fell upon _that man_. Heathcliff; the founder and leader of the Knights of Blood, the player possessing the unique skill {Holy Light}. Legend was his HP never fell into the red zone, that he was invincible. But something was off about him. He was still standing, almost like a statue carved of flesh rather than could any man take on a monster like that and remain so impassive...? Even now, after fighting an opponent so strong that a single blow could wipe out another player's HP in an instant, his HP wasn't even in the yellow zone. Heathcliff the immortal...

Kirito himself could attest to the worthiness of the title, having faced the templar in a duel himself. The man was a devastating opponent with his sword and shield, and when Kirito'd gained the advantage and moved to strike the deciding blow, Heathcliff had somehow managed too move so fast the system couldn't display his motion. Even now, it baffled him how the gray-haired commander had done that. It was as if- the black clad swordsman tensed. As if the system itself was helping him. Moving him faster than he could do alone, never letting him be injured, never letting a significant damage get him. It all made sense now. How could it have taken him this long to see it?!

Kirito's softly pulled his fingers around the hilt of Elucidator, rising into a crouch. Asuna shifted at the motion. "Neh? Kirito-kun?"

Without another word, he exploded into motion, flying across the room faster than anyone could react. Elucidator shone cyan with the power of a sword skill. Heathcliff twisted, a momentary flash of surprise appeared on his face and Kirito smiled inside. That was twice he'd broken that false face of his.

Savoring the victory would have to wait though, as the crimson armored form brought his shield up to parry. Too bad he'd expected this though. At the last second, Kirito kicked off the ground and angled his body upwards, directing the attack over the taller man's shield and straight to his head.

It didn't hit, or to be more specific, it didn't hit Heathcliff. Instead, a translucent purple hexagon appeared in the path of his blade, stopping him cold along with it. Kirito just smirked, unconcerned with the fact that he'd just attacked a fellow player or that his wife was running up behind him. All that mattered was the damning script on that wonderful little polygon, {Immortal Object}.

"I-Immortal Object?" Asuna whispered, stopping cold at the sight. "What's going on commander?"

"The system ensures that his HP will never fall into the yellow zone." Kirito replied flatly, stepping back. "Something has always bothered me, ever since I arrived here..."

Everyone was silent as he stared distantly at the patterns on the ceiling. Was it exhaustion that held their tongues, or shock? It mattered little now.

"Where does he hide while he watches us and adjusts the world? I wondered, but I'd forgotten a simple piece of psychology, something any kid knows..."

Kirito's smile was a mixture of victory and something predatory, like a shark smelling blood in the water. "There's nothing as boring as watching someone else play an RPG. Isn't that right, _Kayaba Akihiko?_"

The sharp hisses echoed through the room as people inhaled at the accusation. In spite of this, the man's impassive demeanor remained. No shock, not surprise, no reaction at all. For a long moment he was silent, then he spoke.

"Would you be so kind as to tell me how you figured it out?"

"The first time I felt something was wrong was during our duel. In that last instant, you were far to fast."

Heathcliff, no- Kayaba Akihiko, nodded in agreement.

"I suspected as much. That _was_ an unfortunate mistake. You overpowered me to the point that I needed to deactivate the system's over-assist mode."

Absently, the gray-haired man noticed the pleading looks of those players around him. Looks begging him to say that it was a lie and denounce his attacker... but he didn't. The man just shook his head mournfully and looked around.

"Yes, I am Kayaba Akihiko; and if I may add, I am the game's final boss, who would have awaited you at the top floor."

Amidst the gasps of those present, Kirito's voice tinged with disgust. "That's pretty bad; the strongest player betrays us to become the last boss?"

"Fitting isn't it? Humanity is capable of both great good and great evil. As they say, power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Thus, it only made sense for the strongest player them Aincrad to then turn on his allies in the search for more power. Not a bad storyline if I do say so myself, though there is an inherent flaw...

"Oh yeah, and what might that be Kayaba?"

The gray-haired man's face cracked a faint smile.

"Well, there's the fact that I'm not human, for one."

There was silence for a long moment as that set in.

"Sorry Heathcliff," Kirito said finally "but somehow I find it hard to believe you're an NPC."

"Ah, but I never claimed to be an NPC Kirito." He replied, an amused tone slipping into his voice. "With limits I placed on this world's programing, that would hardly be possible. No, I am far beyond any digital construct or AI, yet neither am I a mere human."

"Alright then, I'll bite. What are you?"

"Surely you've noticed by now? As a Beta Tester, you would have known that the graphical capacity of Aincrad Online was perfect, capable of operating into the finest details. Cuts bled, foods tasted, and you could feel and touch everything as if it was real... yet as the beta progressed these things changed, and the official release reduced most of these things drastically. Did you not wonder why that was?"

Everyone was silent at these revelations, though Kirito's eyes narrowed. "The beta testers assumed that they were quality experiments to test the outer limits of the system, and that those limits were altered to handle higher server traffic with the release."

"As I intended them to think. No, the truth is something far deeper; a much greater revelation. You all believed that this game's graphical quality was reduced to streamline service to a larger group, but in reality this game, Aincrad Online, is so brutally far beyond anything humanity has ever possessed. Even with all their technological prowess, it was only my personal involvement in the Aincrad Online Project that allowed for the creation of a true VRMMO. Didn't you ever wonder when you first stepped into this world if this was really the work of human hands? Didn't you imagine at one point that this place was the work of something- or someone- greater?"

"Something beyond this world, beyond nature." Kirito whispered softly. "Not simply ridiculously advanced, but utterly beyond the scope of our power to grasp and control. A world formed from information alone, yet so incredibly detailed it seemed less a simulation than a world in it's own right..."

"Yes. You begin to understand now, don't you Kirito? I am not, and never was human. Kayaba Akihiko was a lie. A mask no different from that of this avatar, Heathcliff. Deceptions yes, but necessary to evade those annoying Campione that would face me for no reason other than to claim the power I hold."

"Greetings. I am Morpheus."

Silence, then the peanut gallery chimed in.

"Morpheus?"

"The guy from the Matrix?"

"Morpheus, as in the Grecian god of Dreams?" Kirito said softly, a grimace coming over his face at the image.

He'd payed attention in history class sometimes... and one of the previous MMOs he'd played drew heavily on greek mythology. It was only natural that some of it hang about in his head afterwards, but he never expected to have it end up being useful. Chekov's Gun indeed...

"Oh? I wasn't aware you knew of my legend Kirito."

"Leftovers from an MMO I played." Kirito shrugged "Greek mythology played a major aspect, and some of it sank in."

"I see..."

"That's BS man!" Klein shouted. "You expect me to believe that the guy who made SAO is really a god?"

"I have to admit, it is a bit far fetched..." Asuna murmured, "I mean, if you're a god why make a videogame for all of this?" to which Kayaba chuckled.

"Indeed, it is rather unbelievable isn't it? Why would a god of dreams limit himself to human form? Why would Morpheus create a VRMMO? Why would he make that MMO into a deathgame?" Silence answered him, and the gray haired man shook his head, suddenly looking forlorn. "Many times I have asked myself these questions, but in truth I cannot remember. I once used to know, but now... nothing. Nothing remains of my reasons beyond my desire to make a realm totally my own, a world in which I am the supreme entity, where I answer to no one! Not Zeus, not man, not titan, no one! To realize my dream of a castle floating in the sky! Here, in this world, this shared dream, I am god!"

He sighed, his lips curling up into a slight snarl, and smirked grudgingly. "But alas, for I laid the foundations of this world too well. My dear daughter Cardinal oversaw the world perfectly, just as if it was a videogame as I'd intended. There was no need of me to play god, for my dear daughter was already god, albeit bound by the rules I'd originally written. Even if I'd wanted to supplant such a perfect cornerstone to my world... how could I move against my own daughter?

Instead, I chose to become the weaver of fate. Every world has a story after all, and stories require heroes and villains; protagonists and antagonists. It seemed fitting, so I chose to play not the part of god, but the part of the villain. I modified the code of the world to classify me as the boss of the one-hundredth floor, but only on my command. Until then, I assumed human form I'd prepared and led the charge on the forces of my daughter.

Such would my plans progress with me, under the guise of Heathcliff, directing and inspiring the players to push ahead; all the time with none of them knowing that he who chained them to this place was the very one they looked to for hope. None of them even guessed that their jailer was the one leading the prison riot!"

"You lied to us... all this time?-" Someone, one of Heathcliff's guild members undoubtedly, whispered in rage and horror.

"Ironically, no." Was Kayaba/Morpheus's quicksilver response. "Oh I deceived you certainly, but never once did I have to lie. A few modest omissions, the appearance of another as is within my power as the god of dreams, and supposedly unquestionable behavior, and no one even got suspicious. Kind of pathetic really."

"You... You took our loyalty and our hope... How _dare_ you..."

"Be quiet now, the main characters are talking." Kayaba interrupted, eying the offender for a moment before deftly opening his menu and tapping a hidden icon. Almost instantly, the rising figure of the man who had shouted seized up and fell like a rag doll. More taps, and others slumped. Asuna gasped as the very same effect smote her too, but Kirito caught her and glared at the false savior. In moments, all but two were limp on the ground: Kirito the Black Swordsman of Aincrad, and Kayaba Akihiko.

"Well, I suppose it's not fair to say that _no_ one developed suspicions, isn't that right, Kirito... or do you prefer Kirigaya Kazuto?"

Kirito's hissed breath must have been exactly the kind of reaction Kayaba wanted, because his face momentarily broke into a rictus grin.

"Oh? It should hardly be a surprise that I know your real name Kirigaya-kun."

"Yeah... as the creator of the game, you'd have the resources to track the real names of everyone in the game if you wanted. With only ten thousand copies released, it would be to easy."

"Indeed."

There was a moment of silence.

"So what now Kayaba? Will you kill us all to keep your secret, and return with the sorrowful tale of a victory with a cost all to high? Is that what you plan on doing to keep your secret safe?" Kirito ground out, setting Asuna to the floor and standing accusingly between them.

If Kayaba felt anything from the accusation, his face didn't show it. That didn't stop an undertone of amusement from trickling into his voice, however.

"Why Kirito, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you thought me a monster."

"I know that whatever you are or were, you aren't human anymore. You call yourself god, but your actions call you devil. You lead the people you've imprisoned in this world into greater and greater peril, suffering, and death for your own amusement. For the fulfillment of a goal you cannot even remember! Yes, I call you monster, and worse."

"So you accept that I am not human, eh?" Kayaba said softly. "To answer your question however; no, I will not kill you. Rather, I will reward you for inciting this unforeseen turn of events and for deducing my identity so far in advance of what I had planned. It seems that once again I have underestimated you, Kirito. Though, I suppose it is only natural that the anomaly in my plans would be you. I always expected you'd be the one I'd face in the end, after all."

"What are you talking about?"

"Isn't it obvious? I'm surprised you didn't figure it out already. Who better to battle the final boss than one with a power none other possessed; a power gained through effort and sheer force of will? When I fought you in that duel, any doubts I had were removed.

"Dual Blades..."

"Yes Kirito. Your unique skill, {Dual Blades}, is given only to the player with the fastest reaction times, a trait improved only via sheer force of will, though granted some people and naturally at an advantage over others due to various factors like heritage and practice. The skill is also a mark of distinction, as the player possessing it will act out the role of the hero that faces the demon king in the final battle."

"So all this time we've been fated to fight each other... I suppose I should be surprised, but considering what I've heard in the past few minutes, this is nothing. So..." he continued, holding the black blade {Elucidator} up in a ready stance "What now?"

"Now, Kirito, I give you a chance."

"A chance?"

"A chance to stop this all, right now. A chance to end the game, save the lives of all the players still alive, and make me pay for my supposed 'sins'. All you have to do is fight me, now. One-on-one, and win. The game will be cleared. In honor of your nature as a worthy opponent, I'll even remove my immortality from play. However, you will face me at my full strength, with all the strength of the final boss and the god of dreams."

A horrified silence pervaded the assembled, but Kayaba just smirked.

"Tell me, Kirito... do you think you can kill God?"

"You're no God." Kirito snarled. "You're a monster. A heretical aberration. If god exists, then you are an affront to him. Call yourself what you will, but know this. I _will_ defeat you."

Kayaba's smirk vanished. "Well said Kirito, but that doesn't answer my question... will you face me, or not?"

A deft flick, and the duel invitation appeared before them.

"No Kirito-kun. For now... for now we should fall back. "

Silently, Kirito stood, ignoring Asuna's cries as others joined the chorus.

"Don't be a fool Kirito!"

"There's no way you can beat him right now Kirito! He's the final boss! Even you can't beat him alone!"

"You don't have to prove anything!"

"Shut up!"

At Kirito's shout, everyone fell silent. The black haired boy quivered, every fiber of his muscles taught at a rope. "I know that. I know I probably won't win. I know that this is probably suicide." he said softly "But even so... to think that I would "

"No Kirito! You don't have to throw away your life like this! We can still-"

"Still what, Asuna?" he interrupted sadly. "Fight through another twenty-four floors of this? The bosses will only get tougher, and more of us will die. What's more, that will take time. Time we do not have. You said it yourself. The longer we are in this world, the more our bodies deteriorate in the real world. It's only a matter of time before we die, with or without the game's death penalty. At best, we probably only have a few more months. Those who got into the best clinics might have a bit longer, but not enough to make much of a difference. Some of the older people will die even sooner. I can't let that happen, Asuna. I won't."

His gaze moved to Kayaba, his mouth set in a firm line.

"I accept."

"Kirito, think for a minute!" Klein barked.

"..."

"It's still a chance Kirito! There's no point in taking him on right now! You don't have to do this. Don't take such a risk!"

"Don't insult me." he whispered, yet his voice carried to the entire chamber. "Diabel, Sachi and the Black Cats, Colbert and the ALF soldiers, Godfree, Yui-! They're dead. Dead because I wasn't strong enough. Because I failed. Because I didn't take _enough_ chances. If I back down here... every player who dies from now on will be my fault, because I didn't take this chance."

"Kirito..."

"I'm sorry Asuna, but I can't back down from this. I can't run away and ignore the lives that it will cost. I made you a promise didn't I?"

"You aren't going to die here, right Kirito?"

"I'll win. I promise." he replied, leaning down to plant a soft kiss on her forehead, and placing her limp hands on her chest.

"Alright..." she whispered.

Without another word, Kirito walked towards his opponent, drawing {Elucidator} and {Dark Repulser} smoothly as he did.

"Kirito!"

"Don't do it Kirito!"

He stopped, looking over his shoulder with a sad smile. "Egil... I'd like to thank you for supporting the swordsman class. I know you spent most of the money you made in your shop helping mid-level players to level up safely."

"How... how did you...?"

"Klein," Kirito continued, "I really am sorry for leaving you behind that day."

"Damnit Kirito!" Klein howled "Don't apologize to me now! I won't accept it! I won't forgive you until we share a meal on the other side! Do you hear me, Kirito!"

He smiled faintly. "Got it. I'll see you there okay?"

Klein managed a weak nod, and Kirito's gaze turned to Asuna... then he turned to Kayaba.

"Forgive me, but before we begin, I have a request."

"Oh? What?"

"I have no intention of losing, but if I fail, I want you to make sure that Asuna can't kill herself, if only for a time. What will it cost me to assure that from you?"

"You ask that as if no price is too high. So you love her that much then...?"

"Yes."

The man known as Kayaba Akihiko smiled faintly. "Hera would be crying tears of joy at your fidelity. Yours is indeed a love of sacrifice. I can see in your eye that you would give anything for her, Kirito. Very well. I will honor your request."

"Kirito no! Please don't do that! You can't-! You can't do that!"

But he did not answer her. His gaze was locked on Kayaba who, true to his word, deactivated his immortality effect and reopened the duel challenge menu.

They pressed their respective buttons, and took their stances. The countdown began. As it ticked, Kirito's thoughts raced.

10...

'Whatever Kayaba thinks he is, it can't be denied that he is the creator of this game. As such, he knows the intimate details of all the sword skills, including {Dual Blades}.'

9...

'All sword skills have a cooldown period right after use which leaves the user open to attack.'

8...

'That means that if I try to use any sword skills on him, he'll be able to counter them perfectly and use the cooldown to land a blow.'

7...

'With his skill and level being so high, one chance is all he'd need to finish me off, so I can't risk using any sword skills in this fight, or I'm done for...'

6...

'I guess there's no choice then. I'll just have to fight him without them, but what if he has any other surprises waiting?'

5...

'Logically, if he based abilities on those of Morpheus, then he'll be a human-type shapeshifter and be able to fly, since Morpheus's true form was that of a winged have wings to fly around with.'

4...

'This is bad. His defense is incredible with that shield, and that sword of his is equal to either of mine. If he can fly too, there's no way my throwing picks will be able to hit him.'

3...

'grr! don't think about it. If he does have some kind of ace in the hole, then I can't give him the opportunity to use it!'

2...

'Even if I am a fool for facing him alone; for challenging the God of this world...'

1...

'I swear that I will beat him!'

0.

{Duel Commence!}


End file.
